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Trial Courts | Filings Adjustment for 2022 Judicial Needs Assessment (JNA) Update
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Summary
The biennial Judicial Needs Assessment (JNA) model uses three-year average filings to estimate judicial workload and to assess judicial need in the trial courts. The 2022 JNA update (due November 2022) includes filings for fiscal years 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21. The FY 2019-20 filings include four months (March to June 2020) when many courts' operations were constrained by shelter-in-place orders and physical distancing protocols. The filings count for those months did not reflect actual court workload. The Workload Assessment Advisory Committee (WAAC) has adopted a modification to the filings data for the 2022 JNA update. This modification is consistent with existing policy and is being shared with the Judicial Council as an informational item only.